Machine for inserting fastenings



A. A. ASTON.

v MACHINE FOR INSERTING FASTENINGS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 15. 1916.

1,346,157. I Patented July 13,1920.

6 WVEA/TUQ.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT AMOS ASTON, 0F LEIGEFS'IER ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, 01? PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A COB- ]?ORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 13, 1920.

Application filed August 15, 1916. Serial No. 115,001.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT A. As'ron, a subject of the King of England, resldlng at Leicester, Leicestershire, England, have invented certain Improvements in Machines for Inserting Fastenings, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the drawlngs indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to machines formscrting fastenings, and the general ob ect of the invention is to provide an improved machine of this class especially adapted for use in the manufacture of boots and shoes.

By way of illustration the invention is herein shown as embodied in a machine of the type disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 932,535, granted Au ust 31, 1909, on an application of Louis Casgrain. Machines of this general type 111- sert a plurality of previously formed headed fastenings successively in a shoe, such machines being known commercially as loose nailing machines.

In the use of machines of the type disclosed in said Letters Patent, difficulty has frequently been experienced due to fallure to deliver fastenings into position to be inserted in the work. This difficulty is largely increased by reason of the fact that, as is characteristic of machines of this type, the head of the machine oscillates to feed the work and carries with it the raceway down which the fastenings pass to the separating mechanism for delivery from the raceway to the fastening inserting mechanism, with the result that frequently, upon movement of the machine head in one direction, the fastenings in the raceway, and especially the fastenings nearest to the delivery end of the raceway, are thrown back up the raceway and away from its delivery end so that upon the next operating movement of the separator slide there will be no fastening in position to be engaged by the separator and delivered to the fastening inserting mechanism.

One of the particular objects of the present invention is to remedy this defect in machines of this type Without sacrificing any of the well-known advantages of such machines as heretofore constructed by pro viding means which will insure reliable and unfailing delivery of fastenings from the raceway to the fastening inserting mechanism.

In accordance with this object of the invention, novel means is provided for preventing any retrograde or return movement of the endmost fastening or fastenings in the line of fastenings in the racewaywhile offering no obstacle to successive orderly progression of the fastenings down the raceway to the point of separation from the line of fastenings in the raceway and delivery to the fastening inserting mecha nism.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention this object is attained by a novel gate or latch associated with the raceway, which device, while readily permitting passage of the successive fastenings down the raceway, operates positively by engagement successively with the respective fastenings to prevent reverse or retrograde movement of the endmost fastening or fastenings up the raceway.

These and other objects and features of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description read in connection with the appended drawings, and the novel features of the invention are set forth in the appended claims.

Reference may be had to the said United States Letters Patent No. 932,535 for a detailed description and explanation of various features of the illustrated machine not set forth fully herein since, except as hereinafter described and explained in detail, the machine may conveniently be constructed and operated like the machine dis-- closed in said Letters Patent.

Although the illustrated machine is particularly designed and adapted for inserting protective fastenings of the kind known as hobnails or Hungarian nails, and the present invention relates especially to machines for inserting fastenings of these types, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its applicability either to machines of the type set forth in said Letters Patent or to use in connection with the insertion of fastenings of the kind specified, since it is like themachine-of saidLetters Patent, comprises a raceway adapted to receive previously formed headed nails from a hopper,

a' separator for separating the endmost nail from the line of nails in the raceway and movable to presentthe nails successively to a'nail throat'in position for the operation of a'nail' driver, and an awl having reciproeating movement topenetrate'the shoe for forming successively nail receiving openings in the shoe and laterally movableto feed the shoe between successive nail-inserting'operationsof the driver. The awl, separator,"nail throat. and nail driver and the raceway as well are carried by a swinging head which is operated to effect lateral work feeding movement ofthe awl aftertheawl has been moved downwardly'to pierce the shoe. and the swinging head is swungreversely to"carrythenail throat an'dnail driver into positions over the nail receiving hole just made by the awl, afterwhich' the nail driver is operated to drive a nail into the said previously formed hole, the shoe during the nail driving operation being pressed against a work plate secured to the machine frame and, in use upon some classes of work mounted on shoe support between which and the workplate the 'work is'clamped.

Referring to thedrawings, the illustrated machine has a supportingframe comprising a base, a standard. or column 2 and a head In'the head 14, as hereinbefore stated, are mounted the various parts of the fastening inserting, awl, and separator mechanisms, including a' driver 104, an awl 18,'a separator 86, and their supporting and operating parts, together with a nail hopper '106 and a raceway 84 formed to receive previously formed headed fastenings and inclined for passage of the fasten ngs'down the raceway by gravity.

As in the machine of said Letters Patent, the machine head 14- is mounted to swing or rock about the usual pivot projection received in the machine frame, the head 14: be-

ing oscillated about its pivot by operative connections therefrom to a cam groove in a cam 50, which cam groove receives a roller carried by an arm 52 fast on a rock shaft 54, the rock shaft at its front end having de- The awl is then raised out of the work pending therefrom a feed arm 56 operatively connected to the head let. I

The driver 104 depends from a driver bar 4 mounted in a guideway in the swinging head 14. F or reciprocating the driver bar 4, the upper end of the driver bar is connected by a ball joint to a link 6, in turn connected to a lever 8 operated by a spring 9, when permitted, to force the driver bar at downwardly, the driver bar being elevated against the tension of the driver spring 9 by a driver cam indicated at 21-, carried on the front end of the main driving shaft 23 and operated in the rotation of said shaft to engage a block 27 projecting from the driver bar 4. The driving shaft 28 is driven from a loose pulley which maybe clutched to the shaft at'the'will of the operator bysuitable clutch mechanism.

The awl '18 depends-from an awl bar 16 carried in'thehead 14 and mounted for reciprocation therewith. For reciprocating the awl bar 16 to cause the awl 18to penetrate the work and subsequently, after work feeding movement, to be withdrawn from the work, the awl bar 16 is provided with teeth 31 arranged to engage the teeth of a toothedse'gment 123 carried at the outer end of a rock shaft 85, swinging movement being imparted to the head 14 to effect the lateral shoe feeding movement of the awl 18 through the cam operated rock shaft and connections above described.

In the use of the machine, the fastenings or nails 82 pass SHCCGSSiVGlY'fI'OIIl the hopper into and down the raceway 84 from which they are taken one by onebythe separator 86 which is operated to cause its blade end to be inserted between the endmost nail in the line of nails in the raceway and the adjacent nail and then to move said endmost nailto present it to'the'nail throat for the operation of the driver 104, allas fully set forth and described in detail in said Letters Patent. 1

"In accordance with the'present invention, a racewaycover 70, which is otherwise of usual construction, has loosely pivoted. at 7 2 to a projection 74 from the raceway cover a gate member comprising a latch or pawl 76, pivoted at its end remote from the fastening delivery end of theraceway. A slot 78, in dicated by dotted lines,'fis cut through the raceway cover obliquely from top tobottom to receive the downwardly depending and operative end .80 of the gate member 76, the free end 80 of the gate member 76 projecting fromthe raceway cover 70 into the path of movement of. the fastenings sufficiently so that in its normal and lowermost position-it will successively engage the heads of the fastenings in'the lower part of the raceway, asshown in Fig. 2, in position positivelyto prevent retrograde or return movement of the fastening or fastenings which have passed below it, thereby effectually preventing any fastenings that have passed down to the lower end of the raceway beyond the pivoted gate member or latch 76 from returning past the end thereof irrespective of the oscillation and consequent jarring of the raceway upon oscillation of the machine head 14 and irrespective of any other jarring of the raceway and the nails therein. Conveniently, in the illustrative machine, the gate member is positioned intermediate between the ends of the raceway and at a distance from the lower end thereof corresponding to the combined diameters of seven (for example) fastening heads. This distance is found fairly accurately by taking the combined diameters of that number of fastening heads as they average up in the line passing down the raceway. As the heads of the hob nails vary greatly in size, it was found to be a matter of great difficulty to position the gate member so that it would engage only the endmost fastening in the raceway to retain the same from movement up the raceway. However, the endmostfastening can be retained in position for the action ofthe separating mechanism by arranging the gate member so that it will engage the head of a fastening which follows the endmost fastening down the raceway. Although the gate member has been shown herein as engaging the seventh nail, it is manifest that it may be so positioned as to engage the nails nearer to or farther from the delivery end of the raceway as may be made desirable by the character of the nail heads. For example, if the heads of the nails are substantially uniform in shape and size, it might be advantageous to locate the gate member more closely ad jacent to the end of the raceway.

Preferably and as shown, the gate member 76, which, as above stated, is loosely pivoted to the raceway cover and the free end of which is held down in contact with the successive nails merely by gravity, is of suiliciently light construction so that, when the machine is in operation, the operative end 80 of the gate member 76 which projects into the path of progressive movement of the heads of the nails 82 as they slide down the raceway 84, does notmaterially retard or affect their passage to the delivery end of the raceway, the weight and momentuin of the fastenings as they slide down the raceway being sufiicient to counteract the weight of the operative end of the gate member so that the fastenings successively lift the end of the gate member by wedging engagement therewith, the member riding over the heads of the nails and the nails having substantially free passage beneath in sliding contact with the gate mem ber. Tofacilitate the passage of the nails 82 successively down the raceway by the operaplace the lower end of the member to pass below the same on their way down the race way. However, the construction and arrangement of the member is such that its lower end remains in contact with the fastenings in the raceway, or in the absence of fastenings, with the raceway itself, and does not swing away therefrom in the oscillation of the machine head.

To. prevent return movement of the fastenings up the raceway toward the hopper and away from the separator, the side of the operative end 80 of the gate member 76 is shaped at 80- to engage successively the upper sides of the heads of the nails 82 in such a manner as to insure that, whatever the agitation of the fastenings in the raceway, the operative end 80 of the gate member 76 will not be elevated or displaced by the fastenings which have passed below the gate member.

VVhen the machine is in operation, the nails 82 successively slide down the inclined raceway 8e under and beyond the operative end 80 of the gate member 76 to the lower and delivery end of the raceway. By reason of the above described construction and arrangement of the gate member 76, the nail or nails below the operative end 80 of the gate member 76 are positively held thereby against backward movement up the raceway by engagement of the part 80 101: the gate member 76 with the heads of the successive nails as indicated in Fig. 2, the member 76 being automatically self-positioning after each nail has passed below it. As each nail reaches the delivery end of the raceway 8%, it is separated from the line of fastenings by the separator 86 and carried beneath the driver 10% for insertion in the work.

Theabove described construction and arrangement provide reliable means for insuring that the progression of the successive fastenings to the point of operation of the separator 86 and consequently to the point of operation of the driver 104 will be regular and uninterrupted so that a fastening will always be positioned. for the operation of the separator 86 at each operative movement of the separator, thus insuring regular and uninterrupted delivery of fastenings to the fastening inserting mechanism.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is 1. In a fastening inserting machine, a swinging head, mechanism carried by said swinging head for inserting previously formed fastenings successively, a raceway movable with said head for supplying fasthe point of fastening insertion, and amovtenings to the fastening inserting mecha; nism, and a freelyiplvoted gate'member associated with the raceway and constructed and arranged with'relatlon to theraceway- 2. In a fastening inserting machine, fas

tening delivering mechanism comprising a raceway for'successively supplying previously formed fastenings, separating mechanism for taking a the ffastenings I successively from the raceway and delivering them to able gate member spaced such a distance up the raceway from the delivery endthereof that a plurality of fastenings may rest on said delivery end below the gate member and constructed and arranged with relation to the raceway to'permit uninterruptedprogression of the fastenings down the -race-.

delivery'end of the raceway, said pivoted gate member being constructed and arranged to be automatically self-positioning after displacement by any fastening to prevent return movement of that fasteningup the raceway.

l. In a fastening inserting machine, fasteningdelivering mechanism comprising a raceway constructed and arranged to receivel previously formed headed fastenings' and inclined to providefor progressionof the successive 'f-astenings down the raceway by gravity, and a gate member arrangedto retain a plurality of fastenings adjacentthe delivery end of "said raceway fromreturn movement u'p-the raceway, said gate member beingfreely pivoted and havingitsoperative end normally held'by gravity in the path of movement of the fastenings as they pass successively down the raceway, the weight of the gate member beingso proportioned to the force exerted by'the successive 'fastenings as they pass down the raceway as to permit temporary displacement of the gate member awa'y fromthe raceway by engagement'ot'the head of "a fastening with theoperativeendof the gate member to provide for uninterruptedrprogression' of the fastenin'gs down the'raceway while preventing return movement up the raceway of a raceway constructed and? arranged to receive previously formed headed fastenings, a separator at the deliveryend of the raceway for successively separating the endmost fastening from the line of fastenings in :the rac'eway an'd deliveringitto the point of fastening insertion,-and amovable gate member spaced from "the separator for the accommodation of a plurality 1 of fastenings therebetween and constructed and arranged to prevent accidental return movement from the delivery end of the raceway "of any fasteningsbeyo'nd said'gatemember by engagement with the'heads of the successive fastenings. r

6. Ina fastening inserting machine, fastening delivering mechanism comprising a raceway constructed and arranged "to re ceive "and deliver previously formed fastenings, a cover for said raceway, and a movable gate member for detaining a plurality of nails at thedelivery end of theracew'ay and comprising a member freely pivoted at one; end to said raceway cover and "having a depending operative end, said raceway cover being obliquely slotted for the reception of said operative end of the member and said operativeend ofthe member projecting through the slot in the raceway cover into the path of 'movement of the fastenings iuthe raceway to prevent return movement up the raceway ofany fastening below the operative end of the gate member.

the raceway and constructed and arranged to mterpose resistance to the backward forward to the driving'rpoint; a separator arranged to operate at one-end ofthe raceway to separate a plurality of fastenings in ward displacement longitudinally of the raceway a plurality of iastenings for the separative action of the separator.

9. In a fastening driving machine, a reciprocatory fastening driving head, a raceway and raceway cover carried by said head, a separator arranged to operate at the delivery end of the raceway to separate a plurality of fastenings in succession from the line of fastenings in the raceway, and means intermediate between the ends of the raceway for retaining a plurality of fastenings adj acent said end of the raceway for the separative action of the separator, said means being constructed and arranged to be operated by the fastenings to pass the same toward the delivery end of the raceway.

10. In a machine of the class described, fastening delivering mechanism comprising a raceway constructed and arranged to receive and deliver previously formed headed fastenings, and a freely movable gate member disposed for engagement-with the rear portion of the head of a fastening in the raceway back of the endmost fastening and constructed and arranged to prevent return movement up the raceway of the fastenings below said member.

11. In a fastening driving machine, a reciprocatory head, an inclined raceway carried by the head down which fastenings pass by gravity, a separator for removing the fastenings from the line of fastenings in the raceway, and a freely movable gate normally in engagement with the fastenings, said gate being disposed in a substantially vertical plane and having its operative end constructed and arranged to permit the fastenings to pass by it readily in their movement down the raceway but to interpose a positive stop to reverse movement of the fastenlngs.

12. In a fastening driving machine, a reciprocatory head, an inclined raceway carried by the head down which fastenings pass by gravity, a separator arranged to operate at one end of the raceway to separate fastenings in succession from the line of fastenings in the raceway, and fastening retaining means normally in engagement with the fastenings and constructed and arranged to permit the fastenings to pass it readily in their passage down the raceway but to interpose a positive stop to the passage of the fastenings in the reverse direction thereby to prevent retrograde movement of the fastenings up the raceway.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ALBERT AMOS ASTON. 

